Speaking of Christmas,
A lot of Christian (and generally theist) parents raise their children to believe in Santa Claus (along with a host of other fictional holiday/event characters such as the easter bunny, tooth fairy, etc.), later admitting or revealing to them that the characters and associated stories are false. Meanwhile, they support continued belief in a god, of whom the child most likely held on the same level as any other character or story from childhood. What seperates one from the other; say, a god from Santa? Do you think that encouraging your child to believe in imaginary characters such as Santa Claus affects the child's belief in a god in the future?
A lot of Christian (and generally theist) parents raise their children to believe in Santa Claus (along with a host of other fictional holiday/event characters such as the easter bunny, tooth fairy, etc.), later admitting or revealing to them that the characters and associated stories are false. Meanwhile, they support continued belief in a god, of whom the child most likely held on the same level as any other character or story from childhood. What seperates one from the other; say, a god from Santa? Do you think that encouraging your child to believe in imaginary characters such as Santa Claus affects the child's belief in a god in the future?